Une Pauvre Fille
by MissFiyerabaMeponineSherlock
Summary: Eponine Thenardier had been alone for so long. She was unloved by all and led a life of pure misery. But can all of that change when she meets a young boy?
1. Chapter 1

**Just a random idea that popped into my head so here it is.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or any of the wonderful characters.**

Eponine Thenardier was 5 years, 11 months, 363 days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes old. She sat alone on the floor of her cold, damp bedroom. If you could call it that. The room was empty except for a stack of hay in the corner. That was where Eponine slept. Eponine had no friends. She was all alone. She had no one who truly cared for her. Her mother cared enough not to throw her out into the streets, but that was as far as her mother's affection went for her. Most of Mme. Thenardier's affection was directed towards a beautiful little girl by the name of Cosette. Cosette had come into Eponine's life a year ago. Her mother had begged the Thenardiess to take care of Cosette while she worked in the small town of Montreuil-sur-Mer. Since that moment, Eponine's life had completely changed. She used to have beautiful dresses and plenty of toys. But her parents worshipped Cosette for her beauty and had given her all of Eponine's toys and beautiful dresses, leaving Eponine to wear rags. Cosette attracted costumers to the inn. She was simply delightful to be around. The mere sound of her joyous laughter could bring a smile to the face of even the most miserable man. Eponine envied her, but she never let the girl know.

"21, 22, 23..." Eponine was counting down. In less than a minute she would turn 6 years old.

Not only did the Thenardiers get more business because of Cosette's presence, but they also got money from Cosette's mother. The Thenardiers were not poor as they had been before Cosette's arrival.

"37, 38, 39..."

Eponine herself may have been beautiful. Maybe if her hair wasn't tangled and matted with dirt and even a little bit of blood (her father enjoyed beating her when he was angry or when Eponine failed to do something properly), or if she wasn't so thin that you could see her ribs through her threadbare rags, or if she wasn't covered in bruises and welts, or–worst of all–if the misery in her eyes didn't make it so painful to look at her. To look upon Eponine was to pity her. But she would not accept anyone's pity. She'd accept their money, yes. But not their pity. Several times, out of pity for the poor child, people had offered to help her with whatever impossibly hard task Monsieur Thenardier had given her, but Eponine always said no. She wanted to prove that she could do it on her own. That, and the fact that her father would be furious with her if she accepted the offers of help. When her father was mad he beat her horribly. He beat his own child! His own little girl! And for God's sake, she was only 5! Her mother never beat her, but she also never stopped M. Thenardier from doing it.

"55, 56, 57..."

The poor girl shivered. It was winter and she had no wool to keep her warm. She didn't even have any shoes to keep her feet warm! Chilblains covered her hands and her feet, they were painful.

"58, 59... 60! Happy Birthday me..." she whispered as she blew out the single candle that she had taken from the kitchen. "I wish I had a friend... all I want is a friend..." Eponine began to sob. "Oh how lonely I am!" she exclaimed miserably.

She heard the floor creak. Eponine looked up and found Cosette watching her.

"Did I w-wake ya?" Eponine asked her. Cosette nodded, a faint look of annoyance on her gorgeous face. "Oh... I... I'm s-sorry..." she stuttered. Cosette noticed the tears falling from Eponine's big, chocolate brown eyes.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked snappishly.

"N-nothin'." Eponine replied, trembling.

"Well keep it down then!" Cosette turned and walked away, her beautiful golden hair billowing behing her. Eponine sighed. She walked over to her mound of hay and lay down. She pulled some of the hay so that it was covering her, yet she still shivered. She closed her eyes. She prayed for a good dream, something that could make her misery disappear for the night.

"All I wan' is a friend..." she murmured. "That's it. Nothin' else. I just wan' a friend... someone who will care 'bout me and hold me when I cry. Someone I can rely on, someone who can make me laugh. Someone who, at the very sight of them, will make me so undescribably happy. Someone I can trust. Please God! I implore you! Jus' give me a friend... please..."

Eponine drifted off into the realm of dreams. She dreamed the most wonderful dream.

_Eponine ran through the streets. She was being chased by a young boy, her best friend, her only friend. She ran, laughing as she went. She could hear the sweet sound of the boy's laughter. _

_Eponine was beautiful. Her long, waist length brown hair was straight and flew behind her as she ran. Her big, chocolate brown eyes were full of laughter. Her olive toned skin was blemish free. There was not a trace of a bruise or scar. She was thin, but attractively so._

_Eponine radiated happiness, one who looked at her would think her to be the happiest child in existence. _

_"I'm gonna get you, Eponine!" the boy exclaimed gleefully._

_"Nuh-uh!" she exclaimed back. But as she said it, the boy caught up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He spun her around. Eponine giggled. She turned and hugged him, a wide smile on her exquisitely beautiful face._

_"Got ya!" he said with a grin. Eponine laughed._

"Get up!" a rough voice awakened Eponine from her lovely dream. The voice, of course, belonged to her father and was followed by a slap to Eponine's face. She whimpered in pain. "Go to the market and buy some bread!" he shouted at her. Eponine scrambled to her feet. Her father tossed her a couple of sous and then shoved her hard before leaving the room. She hurriedly got dressed. _What a great birthday..._ she thought sarcastically.

Eponine ran all the way to the market, fearing that if she took too long her father would be very angry with her. Then she'd get a beating. She shuddered at the thought. _Just another day that I have to get through. _she thought. _One more day all on my own..._ she sighed. _One more day with no one caring... what a life I might have known! But they never saw me there!_

Eponine wasn't paying attention to where she was going. She ran right into a young boy, knocking them both to the ground.

"I'm s-sorry!" she said quickly, for a moment fearing that he would strike her as her father would have done. The boy merely smiled and laughed. He jumped to his feet and then helped her up.

"No matter," he said with a boyish grin. Eponine looked at him and nearly gasped. _He was the boy from her dream!_ Eponine smiled widely. The boy smiled back and did a sort of bow as he introduced himself "I am Marius Pontmercy!" he annouced grandly.

"Nice ta m-meet ya, M'sieur. I'm Eponine Thenardier." she said as she curtsied.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mademoiselle."

**So what did ya think? Just out of curiosity, did anyone get the slight reference at the beginning of the chapter? Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Voici le prochain chapitre!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or the characters**

Eponine was running through the streets with Marius chasing her, just like in her dream. Though, of course, Eponine did not look like the dream version of herself. She still had tangled hair, she was still way too skinny, she still had bruises and scars (though none were visible). Eponine laughed happily as she ran. She could hear Marius laughing too. He was catching up to her.

"I'm gonna get you, 'Ponine!" he exclaimed, using a nickname that he'd just thought of.

"Nuh-uh!" she said with a grin. But as she said it, the boy caught up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He spun her around. Eponine giggled. It was literally a dream come true. She actually had a friend.

"Got ya!" he said happily. Eponine laughed. The two linked arms and walked off together. Eponine had completely forgotten that she was supposed to get bread from the market. She had a friend and that was all that mattered.

They ended up walking in the park. Eponine tried her hardest not to step on the snow as she had no shoes. Marius noticed that she was shivering. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. Eponine looked at him, confused.

"You looked cold." he told her. Eponine smiled slightly. It was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her. Ever. Marius smiled back. They continued walking through the park, hand in hand.

...

By the time Eponine returned home, night had fallen. She crept in, not wanting to be caught by her father. She was still wearing Marius' jacket. Her father was waiting for her. Eponine saw him. She could tell he was furious. He walked over to her and grabbed on to her dress. He lifted her up. She was shaking. She was terrified. M. Thenardier threw her across the room. Eponine screamed. She had landed near the fireplace, her arm actually landed in the fire. She pulled her arm out of the fire. it was badly burned. He walked over to her, glaring at her menacingly.

"Where have you been?" he growled.

"I.. I was... I was just... I..." she stuttered. He smacked her across her face. Eponine whimpered in pain. "Why are you so angry!?" Eponine asked him. He kicked her in the stomach. She winced.

"Cosette is gone!" he roared. "Some old man came an' took her, 'ad a note from 'er mother! She's gone!" he picked her up and threw her across the room again. Eponine hit the wall with a sickening thud and then fell to the ground. There was a loud crack as her leg snapped. She screamed in pain. Thenardier took and empty wine bottle and whipped it at her. The bottle broke when it hit Eponine's head. She screamed again. The glass had cut her head and now blood poured from her wounds. She felt like she was about to pass out. Thenardier walked over to her and slammed her head against the wall. Eponine pretended to lose consciousness. Thenardier left her there. He'd gone into his and Mme. Thenardier's bedroom. Eponine got up. She limped out of the inn and walked down the streets, crying. Blood was oozing from her wounds and her burn hurt so much. She forced herself to run as far as she could from the inn.

Eponine ended up collapsing against the side of someone's house. She was whimpering in pain and sobbing at the same time. _Well at least Cosette is gone... maybe things can return to normal... I hope..._

She looked at the snow on the ground and then at her burned arm. She put her arm in the snow. It still hurt, but the snow made it a bit better. Her vision blurred. She'd lost so much blood! Eponine tried to stay conscious. She also tried to stop whimpering, but it hurt too much. She had to bite down on her lip to keep from screaming. _Mon Dieu this hurts..._ she thought.

"Eponine?" a voice called. Eponine looked up. Marius was leaning out of the window of the building that Eponine had collapsed against. "Eponine?" he called again. "Is that you?" Eponine moaned in response. "Eponine, I'm coming down." he said.

A couple of minutes later, Marius walked out the door of his house. He ran over to her.

"Eponine, you're hurt! You need some help..." he noticed all the blood. "Oh God... it's everywhere..." he whispered. "What happened? Who did this to you, 'Ponine?" Eponine focused on him so that she wouldn't black out.

"M-m-my f-father..." she whispered.

"You need some help... come on inside, my grandfather can help you." he said. He held out a hand for her. She took it, but as soon as she was on her feet she collapsed again. Marius picked her up. _She's too light..._ he thought. He carried her inside and then placed her on the sofa. "Wait here, I'll go get my grandfather." he told her. He ran off. When he came back, he was followed by an elderly man carrying a satchel. The old man did a double take when he saw how badly Eponine was wounded. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a roll of bandages and a jar filled with some type of ointment. He opened the jar and dipped his fingers into the ointment. He rubbed it onto Eponine's burn. She whimpered in pain. Marius held her hand. The old man bandaged her burn and then he pulled the glass out of and bandaged her other wounds. Eponine looked at him, shaking. She was going to pass out soon and she knew it.

"You'll be alright now." the old man told her with a reassuring smile.

"Th-thank you..." she stuttered.

"You're very welcome." he told her. "Rest." he added, before he went back to bed. Marius looked at Eponine. She was still shaking.

"You're safe now, 'Ponine." he told her.

"I'm scared..." she whispered, worrying that her father might hunt her down.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you." he promised her. Eponine managed a small smile. "I'm going to stay right here." he said, sitting on the ground next to the sofa. "Now try to sleep." Eponine nodded. Marius smiled and kissed her on the forehead. Eponine closed her eyes and drifted off. Marius lay down on the ground and fell asleep, still holding her hand. Little did either of them know, that night would only be one of the many times that Marius would find an injured Eponine and bring her back to his house.

_10 years later_

Eponine stormed out of her family's apartment with a black eye. After Cosette's departure things had _not_ gone back to normal. If anything things had gotten worse. The Thenardiers lost the inn and had become bankrupt. They were forced into a life of crime. Thenardier had his own gang, the Patron Minette, and now, not only did Thenardier beat Eponine, but so did the members of his gang. The worst usually came from Montparnasse. Many times Montparnasse had tried to have his way with Eponine, but Eponine knew how to fight him off. She was tough, despite being far too skinny. Normally, she got only a mouthful of food for breakfast and for dinner. Montparnasse could probably easily overpower her, but he was usually drunk, which made it easier for Eponine to get away. Eponine was a fast runner. She had to be. Especially since her father always forced her to take part in whatever crime he was carrying out. Despite being fast, there were several times when she had only narrowly avoided being caught by Inspector Javert.

Eponine ran through the streets of Paris, knowing that her father was probably following her. She sighed and went off pick-pocketing. She always feared that if she didn't bring home enough money at the end of the day then her father might force her into prostitution. That was one thing that she had never let anyone take from her: her virginity. She ran down a dark alleyway and then counted how much money she'd stolen. 5 franks and 20 sous. _Not bad._ she thought. **(Actually it's only $5.20) **She was good at pick-pocketing, especially since she knew where the rich parts of Paris were. She put the money in her skirt pocket. She walked out of the alleyway and down the streets.

"Eponine?" a voice called out. Eponine smiled. _Marius._ Eponine and Marius had been best friends for a long time... and Eponine had fallen in love with him. And why wouldn't she? He was a perfect gentleman, and he was kind, caring, and very good-looking.

Eponine turned and saw him running towards her. He ran up to her, picked her up, and spun her around. Eponine laughed.

"Well hello there, Monsieur. You seem happy today." she said with a smile.

"The revolution is approaching!" he said happily. "Soon we'll all be free, 'Ponine. Freedom is almost here!" Then Marius noticed her black eye. "What happened to you?" he asked. "Your father again?" Eponine nodded. "I don't know why you stay with him, 'Ponine."

"What choice do I have?"

"I've told you several times that you can live with me in my apartment over the Cafe Musain."

"He'd find me and then things would just get worse..."

"I could protect you."

"He'd hurt you... and I'd just _die_ if he did something to you." she said with such love in her voice. It didn't go unnoticed.

"'Ponine?"

"I have to go..." she said. She ran off. Marius chased her, but Eponine was much faster than him.

**Well I hope you enjoyed that. Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Voila! Un nouveau chapitre! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or the characters... though I might get the chance to audition to be one :3**

Eponine ran down the Rue de Saint Marc. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ Eponine thought furiously as she ran. _He could hear it in my voice! Damn me!_ She glanced behind her as she ran and noticed that Marius was still chasing her, thought there was obviously no way he could catch up to her. She turned a corner and then went down an alleyway, then climbed a fence, and then turned another corner. _There's no way he'll be able to find me. I _own_ these streets._ _I know my way around... can't say the same for Marius, though..._ She nearly smiled as she pictured him looking for her and then getting lost.

She sat down, leaning against a building.

"Eponine!? Where are you?" she heard Marius shout. He continued to shout, but his voice was getting farther away. She laughed. She knew he'd probably keep looking for another hour or so. She was kind of touched that Marius was trying so hard to find her.

"Oh Marius, if only you knew..." she murmured softly, her voice full of longing. _But I can't just tell him. There's no way he'd feel the same way... no way at all... I'm just a streetrat. I always have been and always will be._ She sighed. _Oh Marius, if you only knew how much I loved you... if there was only a chance that you could feel the same way. Just being with you makes me happy... nothing else does. Most of the time, I hate my life... but not when you're around. The only thing that could make me completely and truly happy is your love. But I will never have your love..._

"If I only knew what?"

Eponine jumped. Marius was walking towards her.

"How did you–?"

"I know the way your mind works." he replied. "And I heard you laugh." he added. He sat down next to her. "So... if I only knew what?"

"Nothing, Monsieur."

"Liar."

"It's nothing..."

"Come on 'Ponine, tell me."

"No..."

"Please?" he gave her his puppy dog look.

"That's not going to work this time."

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Because I... I just can't, okay!?" she snapped. She looked at him. Her eyes were full of sadness. "I can't because... because it would hurt too much..." _because I know you doin't love me back..._ she added mentally.

"Okay." he said, not arguing this time. They were both silent.

"The world is a cold and unforgiving place..." she muttered very quietly so Marius wouldn't hear. No such luck.

"What are you talking about?"

"Life is hard and it sucks and... sometimes I really hate it." she said. She hugged her knees to her chest. "Every freaking day I live with the fear that my father might force me into prostitution, or that maybe he'll hit me too hard and cause permanent damage, or maybe he'll just get fed up and end my sorry life." she didn't mention that the worst part of her miserable life was knowing that Marius would never love her.

"Then come live with me."

"I can't."

"Why?"

"He'd come after me."

"I could protect you."

"We've had this conversation."

"I can defend myself."

"You have no idea what he's capable of."

"I've seen what he's done to you. I would really like to beat the crap out of him."

"Have you _seen_ his gang, Marius? They'd kill you. I couldn't bear it if they hurt you because of me..."

"Many of Les Amis de l'ABC live over the Musain." he said pointedly.

"I wouldn't want any of them to get hurt either."

"Eponine, it isn't safe for you to live with you father." he said, worry colouring his voice.

"I know..." her voice shook slightly, but she maintained a straight face. "I'm not going home tonight." she decided. "That would just be asking for death after the argument I had with my father."

"What happened?"

"He threatened to force me into prostitution and... I lost it, so, naturally, he got mad and... well, you know what happens when he gets mad..." she said, gesturing towards her black eye. She sighed. Marius wrapped an arm around her.

"I'm fairly certain I already know that answer to this, but would you like to stay in my apartment tonight?"

"I... I really shouldn't..."

"Please?"

"If my father ever found out that you helped me..."

"Who says he'd have to find out? Come on, 'Ponine..."

"I don't know..."

"Well if you change your mind, you know where I live."

...

Eponine was walking alone through the streets of Paris that night. She had decided not to go to Marius' apartment. _I don't want to be a burden... he was just being nice when he offered... I really shouldn't_ It started to rain–no, it started to pour. _Well maybe he really meant it..._ Eponine guessed that it was probably around midnight. _He's probably already sleeping... oh well. _Eponine started walking towards the Cafe Musain.

She walked inside. Some of Les Amis de l'ABC were still awake.

"'Ey Ep'nine." Grantaire drunkenly greeted her. "Need a bed? Y'can share mine." he added with a laugh.

"In your dreams, Grantaire." Eponine replied with a slight grin.

"Hello Eponine." Enjolras greeted her.

"Hello Monsieur Enjolras."

"Marius is asleep."

"I assumed as much."

"You know where he keeps his spare key." he said. Eponine nodded. She retrieved the spare key and went upstairs to Marius' apartment. She unlocked the door and went inside. She walked into Marius' bedroom. Sure enough, he was sleeping. She walked over to him and poked his forehead. He mumbled something in his sleep and rolled over. She bent down.

"Marius," she whispered. "Marius..."

"G'way E'jolras." he mumbled in his sleep. Eponine laughed quietly.

"I'm going to tell him you said that." she said. She went over and lay down in the bed next to him. _Well this should be a surprise for Marius when he wakes up tomorrow morning,_ Eponine thought with a laugh. In his sleep, Marius draped an arm over Eponine's stomach. She blinked. He pulled her close to him. _Yes, this will definitely be a surprise for him._ She didn't try to pull away from Marius. She let herself relax there in his arms. She could have sworn she saw a flicker of a smile on Marius' face. She rested her head against his chest and drifted off into the realm of dreams.

**Well I hope you enjoyed. A certain blonde demon might make an appearance in the next chapter. Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here is the next chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or any of the characters.**

When Marius woke up the next morning, before even opening his eyes, he noticed that he had his arms around someone. Someone way too thin, he could feel her ribs! _There's only one person I know that's this thin... Eponine..._ He opened his eyes and, sure enough, there was Eponine with her head resting against his chest. _Okay, what the hell happened last night?_ Marius was about to move, but then he noticed how peaceful Eponine looked in her sleep. _She looks so at ease... normally she has her guard up, but now all of her barriers are gone. I... I've never noticed it before but Eponine is kinda beautiful..._

In her sleep, Eponine draped an arm across Marius' stomach. He smiled slightly and kissed her forehead. Eponine smiled slightly in her sleep. She was dreaming about Marius.

"Marius..." she murmured in her sleep. Marius raised an eyebrow and looked at her. She mumbled something else that sounded a lot like 'I love you', but Marius couldn't be certain. Suddenly, Eponine's expression darkened and she began to shake. Her dream had turned into a nightmare.

"'Ponine?" he shook her lightly, trying to wake her up. Eponine woke up gasping. "'Ponine?" she looked at him, completely surprised. But then she remembered what had happened last night and how she ended up with Marius. "Are you okay?" he asked her. She nodded.

"Yeah... I'm fine..." she lied.

"'Ponine..." he said, not believing her one bit.

"Really, I'm fine..." she said. Neither spoke for a moment.

"So... mind telling me what happened last night?" he asked. Eponine laughed.

"It started to rain, so I came here. You were asleep, when I tried to say something to you, you thought I was Enjolras and told me to go away. So, naturally, I ignored you." she said with a slight grin. Marius laughed lightly. "So I layed down next to you and then you wrapped your arms around me and just wouldn't let go." she added, still smiling. Marius grinned.

"Well you did quite the same thing only a couple of minutes ago, Mademoiselle." he told her. She blushed brightly.

...

Later that day, Marius and Eponine were walking through the slums of Saint-Michel when Marius noticed at beautiful blonde girl. Her silky blonde hair reached her waist. Her blue eyes sparkled. Her creamy skin was blemish free. Eponine followed his gaze. She froze upon seeing the girl. She recognized her immediately; Cosette. _Cosette... the girl who ruined my life..._ Eponine thought. Cosette's eyes met Marius' and then Eponine's. Marius looked at Eponine. The look in his eyes scared Eponine because she could recognize it: it was love. Love for the girl who had made Eponine miserable. Then, as quickly as she had appeared, Cosette had vanished.

"Who is she?" he asked her, desperation colouring his voice.

"Cosette..." Eponine whispered.

"Eponine, will you find her for me?" he asked her. Eponine made a strange choking sound, almost as if she was holding back a sob. Marius looked at her, alarmed. "'Ponine? Are you alright?"

"Why do you want h-her?" she asked. Marius smiled.

"Oh 'Ponine, I'm in love with her! I know I am! Please will you find her for me?"

"Oh Marius, please not her!" she begged him. Marius' brow furrowed in confusion.

"Why not?"

"I know her! I know what she's like! Marius you could do so much better..." she told him.

"But I'm in love! Please, Eponine, I'll do anything! Please just find her for me..." Eponine could see how much it meant to Marius. She gave a tiny nod. Marius' face lit up. She'd never seen him so happy. _Why does it have to be her?_ Eponine wondered.

...

In Valjean's care, Cosette had become a nicer person by far. However, for reasons that we may never understand, she had always maintained her hatred of Eponine. She couldn't explain why, but she still hated her. Perhaps it was because she had gotten used to it whilst living with the Thenardiers. Whatever the reason, the hatred was still there. So when Eponine found Cosette in her garden at number 55 Rue Plumet, the first words out of Cosette's mouth upon noticing Eponine were:

"Once a street rat, always a street rat, right Eponine?"

"Cosette." Eponine said, merely acknowledging her presence.

"What are you doing here?" Cosette asked coldly.

"I was asked to find you."

"Was it by the handsome young man you were with in Saint-Michel?" Cosette asked. Eponine nodded sadly. Cosette smiled, which made her look even more beautiful, which made Eponine hate her even more. "Well you surely must bring him here, you lousy wench." she told her.

"Oh what kind words." Eponine said dryly.

"Just get him here!" Cosette snapped.

"I don't know what he sees in you." Eponine said as she turned and walked away. Though, of course, she knew exactly what Marius saw in her: beauty. That was it. What else could there be? _It's not like he can see her soul..._ she thought,_ Because, if he could, then he'd know that she's actually hideous..._

Eponine walked to the Cafe Musain where she knew Marius would be. She walked inside and as soon as Marius saw her, he ran to her side. Eponine nodded at him. A wide smile spread across Marius' face.

"So you found her?" he asked. She nodded again. "Oh thank you, 'Ponine! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"I'll show you to her house." she said tonelessly. Her face was devoid of emotion. It didn't go unnoticed.

"Eponine, are you alright?"

"Yeah, just dandy!" she replied sarcastically. "Now are you coming or not?" she asked as she turned and started to walk back to 55 Rue Plumet. Marius followed her, chattering about his love for Cosette. Eponine tried to tune it all out, but it wasn't that easy. _Every word that he says is a dagger in me!_ she thought, still managing to keep her face devoid of emotion. She glanced at Marius. _In my life, there's been no one like him anywhere. Anywhere, where he is... If he asked, I'd be his..._ _I suppose I should be happy for him, shouldn't I? But I can't be. Not when he wants _her_! Why does it have to be her?_

All too soon, they'd reached 55 Rue Plumet. Eponine stayed out of sight as Marius went up to the fence and he and Cosette proclaimed their love for eachother. She tried not to listen, but that was damn near impossible. _Love hurts... it's hurts to much... But what a strange feeling love is to begin with. To love someone is to risk your happiness for theirs. As long as they're happy then all can be right in the world. Except that it's not... you just feel unloved, which is exactly what you are..._ She scoffed_ Love... it's like cold fire..._

Eponine shivered. It was cold outside and her threadbare rags could not keep her warm. She felt frozen even though she was radiating heat. _Oh I better not get sick..._ she thought. Eponine could still hear Marius and Cosette going on and on about their feelings for eachother.

"He was never mine to lose..." she whispered. "Why regret what could not be? These are words he'll never say... not to me... not to me... not for me... His heart full of love. He will never feel this way!"

Then, Eponine heard the sound of rough voices approaching the house. She knew those voices.

She'd know them anywhere.

Those were the voices that haunted her dreams.

Those were the voices of her father and his gang.

**And there ya have it! I hope ya liked it! Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Voila! Le prochain chapitre! Lisez!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or the characters. I am not Victor Hugo, nor am I Cameron Mackintosh, Alain Boublil, or Claude-Michel Schonberg, I am merely obsessed with Les Miserables.**

_What are they doing here!?_ Eponine wondered as her father and the Patron Minette's voices became clearer and closer. She could hear their conversation now. She shuddered when she heard her father's voice.

"10 years ago 'e came and paid for Cosette. I let 'er go for a song, it's time we settle the debt. This will cost 'im dear!" he said to his gang. _Oh,_ Eponine thought, _he's going to rob the house._ Eponine smirked. But then she frowned._ Marius will think that I'm in on it! I can't let them do it..._ she thought. _I have to stop them... somehow. But what can I do? There's _no_ way that I'll be able to convince them not to... well, it's worth a try..._

"Who is this hussy?" her father asked as he grabbed her.

"It's yer brat Eponine, don't you know yer own kid? Why she hangin' about you?" Babet said.

"Eponine get on 'ome, yer not needed in this. We're enough 'ere without you." he told her.

"I know this house, I tell you!" she said, louder than she should have. "There's nothing here for you, _just _the old man and the girl! They live ordinary lives!" she told him, hoping that he would decide it wasn't worth the trouble.

"Don't interfere! You've got some gall, take care young miss, you've got a lot to say!" he snapped.

"She's goin soft, 'appens to all." Brujon said.

"Go 'ome Ep'nine, go 'ome yer in the way." Montparnasse added. Eponine desperately tried to think of something that she could do to make her father and his gang of bleeding layabouts leave the house alone.

"I'm gonna scream! I'm gonna warn them here!" she threatened.

"One li'l scream and you'll regret it for a year!" Thenardier threatened back.

"I told you I'd do it, I told you I would!" she said before she let out an earsplitting scream.

"Head for the sewers, go underground! Leave 'er to me, don't wait around!" Thenardier told his gang. "You ain't my girl, you'll rue this night! I'll make you scream, you'll scream alright!" he told her as he slammed her against the wall of a building hard. Too hard. Eponine heard a loud _CRACK_ as her spine broke. She fell to the ground as Thenardier ran off. Eponine was too shocked to scream in pain. Luckily, her spinal cord wasn't severed, but the pain was nauseating. She tried to stand up, but couldn't. Marius and Cosette came running out of the garden.

"It was your cry sent them away, once more 'Ponine saving the day!" Marius said, not even noticing the pain etched into Eponine's face. He turned to face Cosette. "My dearest Cosette, my friend 'Ponine brought me to you, showed me the way." he told her. Cosette forced herself to smile at Eponine. Then they heard footsteps. "Someone is near, let's not be seen." he said to Eponine. He walked over to her and held out a hand. Eponine took it and tried to get up again. She yelped in pain and stopped trying to get up. "You're hurt." he said, stating the obvious. He knelt down next to her. "What happened?" he asked her. She shook her head. She was in too much pain to talk. "Someone is near," he said again, "I'll carry you." he scooped her up and, with one last glance at Cosette, he ran off with her. He shouted a quick goodbye to Cosette and then carried Eponine to his apartment. He brought her inside and layed her down on his bed. Eponine bit her lip, trying not to scream in pain. "Eponine, what happened?" he asked her again. She just shook her head. "'Ponine, I can't help you if you don't tell me what happened." She shook her head again. She tried not to focus on the pain and tried taking deep breaths. She tried to sit up. She screamed in pure agony. Marius jumped slightly. "Alright, we need to get you to a hospital." he said. Eponine shook her head. "And why not?" he asked her. She forced herself to reply.

"Hate hospitals..." she managed to say. She bit down on her lip again.

"Why?"

"Doctors."

"Why do you hate doctors?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Not the time, Marius." she replied. She had to bite down on her lip again to hold back another scream. Marius sighed.

"What if I go get Joly? Will you let him help?" he asked. Eponine thought for a moment and then nodded. "Alright, I'll be right back." he told her. She nodded. Marius left the apartment and went downstairs to the Musain. When he returned, he had Joly with him.

Joly examined Eponine, who's lip had started to bleed because she was biting down on it so hard. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. He applied a bit of pressure on her back and Eponine let out another scream.

"I think she broke her back. Any idea how that might have happened?" Joly asked Marius. He shook his head.

"She won't tell me anything." Marius told him. Joly looked at Eponine. She shook her head again. Now really was not a good time for her to be talking, the pain made her nauseous.

"Eponine, we need to get you to a hospital right away." he told her. She shook her head frantically.

"She's afraid of hospitals and doctors." Marius informed him. Joly looked at Eponine with almost a stern look in his eyes.

"Eponine, if we don't get you to the hospital then the damage could become permanent and you may never be able to walk again. You need to have surgery." he told her. Eponine shook her head.

"No doctors, no hospital." she said, almost begging. Ever since Azelma had died in a hospital when Eponine was four, Eponine had been terrified of doctors and of hospitals. They hadn't been able to help Azelma with her sickness. When Eponine thought of doctors and hospitals, she thought of death and that terrified her.

"Eponine, you need to be operated on." Joly told her. She shook her head. Joly and Marius shared a look and the Marius grabbed Eponine. Eponine fought him off. She was surprisingly strong. Joly tried to help Marius, but Eponine fought him off to. She clearly did not want to go to the hospital. "Fine." Joly said. "Marius, would you accompany me downstairs?" he asked. Marius nodded and then followed Joly out of the apartment and down to the Musain. Eponine tried to relax. There was no way she was going to the hospital, not if she could help it.

"I'll be fine." she told herself. But as she said it, she had to fight back another scream. Marius and Joly came back with Enjolras. Eponine looked at them, not trusting them for a minute.

"Eponine, we need to get you to a hospital." Marius said, "Even if you don't want to go." Eponine glanced at Enjolras. She knew that all three of them would be able to overpower her.

"Shall we?" said Enjolras.

"Grab her." Joly replied. The three of them grabbed Eponine. She thrashed against them, but they were stronger than her. They picked her up, trying to be careful of her back but that wasn't easy when she was trying to fight them off.

"Eponine, calm down." Enjolras said in a somewhat soothing voice. Eponine glared at him. "Well would rather never be able to walk again?" he asked her. She continued to glare, but she stopped trying to fight them. She'd realized that she wouldn't win.

"Hate hospitals..." she said in a small, terrified voice. It reminded Enjolras of a child talking about the bogeyman.

"Don't worry, Eponine, we won't let anything bad happen to you." Enjolras promised her. Eponine calmed down slightly, but she was still quite terrified.

"You'll be alright, 'Ponine." Marius told her. Eponine ignored him. If it weren't for him and his precious Cosette she wouldn't be in so much pain and she wouldn't have to go to the wretched hospital.

"I want to walk." she said, wondering if she would actually be able to. They set her down on her feet. Eponine nearly fell over, but Enjolras caught her and helped her balance. Her knees nearly buckled. She tried to take a step, but found that she couldn't make her legs work. Then, she realized that she couldn't feel her legs at all! "I... I can't..." she whispered, clearly horrified by being unable to feel her legs. Enjolras hadn't let go of her and was still holding her up. _I suppose that's a good thing,_ Eponine thought,_ otherwise I'd have fallen over..._

Marius moved to pick Eponine up, but Enjolras waved him away.

"I've got her." he told him. He scooped her up. Eponine grimaced in pain. They started walking towards the hospital again. Eponine rested her head against Enjolras' shoulder and just focused on not screaming. They arrived at the hospital and went inside. A doctor walked over to them and brought them over to a hospital bed. Enjolras set Eponine down on the bed. The doctor examined her.

"She has a broken spine." the doctor said. "She needs to be operated on immediately." Eponine started to freak out. She was terrified.

"You'll be alright, Eponine." Joly told her. She shook her head.

"Try to calm down, Eponine." Enjolras said. "We'll be right here after your surgery." he promised her. Eponine looked at him, fear was evident in her eyes. Enjolras patted her hand in a comforting way.

"Don't worry, 'Ponine." said Marius. Once again, she ignored him. The doctor took Eponine away to operate on her.

...

Marius paced outside the hospital room, while Joly and Enjolras watched him.

"I wish she'd told me what happened." he said. "It was probably her father. I saw him running off... It was probably because she screamed, because she alerted us to what was going on. This is all my fault..."

"Marius calm down." Enjolras told him.

"It's my fault that she's in so much pain."

"Marius calm down."

"I'm the worst friend ever."

"Marius calm down! She's going to be fine, so calm down!"

Marius sighed and sat down in a chair.

"I think she's mad at me." he said.

"I noticed that she was ignoring you." Enjolras said. Marius nodded. "Also, I think she's hurt by you infatuation with–what's her name? Colette?"

"Cosette." Marius corrected. "Why would she be hurt by that?" he asked. Enjolras thought for a moment and then decided that maybe it would be a bad idea to tell him about Eponine's feelings for him.

"Oh, no reason..." Enjolras replied.

"Though, she did practically beg me not to see Cosette..." Marius added, as he tried to figure out why Eponine didn't like Cosette. She said that she knew her... Marius wondered how Eponine knew Cosette. Cosette had only just moved to Paris, how could Eponine possibly know her? This was unknown to Marius.

"I hope she's okay." Enjolras said. Marius nodded in agreement

"She'll probably be fine." Joly told them. "She probably won't be allowed to walk for awhile, or move her back too much until the bone has healed... that is, if her spinal cord isn't severed. If her spinal cord is severed then she'll never be able to walk again; she'll be paralyzed from the waist down."

"Then let's hope that isn't the case." Enjolras replied.

...

A couple of hours later, the doctor came out.

"She's fine, she will heal. But she shouldn't walk or move her back for a month or so. Bring her back here for a check up in a month" the doctor told them.

"Eponine won't like that..." Enjolras said with a slight laugh.

They walked into the hospital room and over to Eponine's bed. She was asleep. Marius noticed that she was very pale.

"Hey there, 'Ponine." he whispered.

Eponine woke up an hour later. She opened her eyes slowly. She looked around her and realized that she was in a hospital. She tried to get up. Enjolras pushed her back down

"Oh no you don't." he told her.

"Why?" she replied.

"Because you aren't supposed to walk or move your back for a month." he replied. Eponine groaned, both in pain and in annoyance. The doctor went over to her with a pill and a glass of water. He handed it to her.

"It'll dull the pain." he explained, seeing her confused expression. Eponine nodded and took the pill. "As soon as that kicks in you can leave, there's a carriage waiting." he walked away. Marius looked at her.

"Until you recover, you can stay with me 'Ponine." he said. Eponine was about to argue but Marius said "Please, don't argue 'Ponine. Just let me help you." and Eponine reluctantly nodded.

...

Soon enough, the painkillers kicked in. Enjolras picked her up again and carried her out to the carriage.

"If you'd prefer," he said in a low voice so that only she could hear, "you can stay in my guest room."

Eponine had to think about that.

**So what do ya think? Should Eponine stay with Enjolras or Marius? Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Alright, so a bunch of people said Enjolras, and a bunch said Marius. I'm gonna compromise, you'll see how probably in this chapter. But I'm going to remind you all now that this is a Marius/Eponine fanfic and, contrary to anyone's hopes and beliefs, she will not end up with Enjolras. Though, Enjolras/Eponine fans might be happy about what I have planned... *evil grin***

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or any of the characters.**

Eponine thought for a moment and then replied:

"Thank you for the offer, but I don't want to hurt Marius' feelings. I know he feels bad about what happened..." Enjolras nodded.

"Alright," he said "but if you ever find him too annoying, you know where to find me." he said with a smile.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, smiling back at him.

...

The carriage soon arrived at the Cafe Musain. Marius picked her up. They both said a quick goodbye to Joly and Enjolras and then Marius carried her up to his apartment and into his bedroom. He layed her down on the bed and then sat down next to her. For a moment, neither spoke, neither knew what to say. Marius looked at her and she looked back at him. _I can tell he feels bad... _she thought as she looked at him.

"I'm sorry..." Marius said, breaking the silence.

"For what? You didn't do anything." she replied tonelessly. She knew that she would have to do that alot: wipe all emotion off of her face and out of her voice. _Or else he'll see the anguish that I feel because of him, because he's with Cosette... _

"I'm assuming your father hurt you?" he said. She nodded. "Because you sent him away?" she nodded again. "Thank you... for everything... For sending him and his gang away, for leading me to my lovely Cosette..." Eponine nearly gagged. _Her? Lovely? Oh yes, and I'm the Queen of France!_ she thought dryly. Again, both were silent. Marius was wondering why Eponine hated Cosette so much and Eponine was wondering what on her–besides beauty–Marius saw in Cosette. "So..." Marius said, breaking the silence once more, "why do you hate hospitals?" Eponine sighed. _Well it was bound to come up at some point..._ she thought with a frown. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to..." Marius said when he noticed her frown. Eponine shook her head.

"Before I met you, when I was only 4, my sister, Azelma,–"

"You have a sister!?" Marius asked her, completely surprised. Eponine had never mentioned that she had a sister before. Eponine ignored his outburst and she continued on with what she was saying.

"–was very sick. At first we thought it was just a cold, that she'd be better in a couple of days but we were wrong, she just got worse. My parents–this was back when they still cared–brought her to a hospital. The doctors kept her there, but we visited every day. Within, I'd say, about a month she looked completely unrecognizable. Her once soft blonde hair was knotted, it obviously hadn't been brushed in days. She had no colour left in her, she was white as... as a ghost... And her eyes... her eyes have always haunted me... they used to be so full of life, of joy, or laughter... but her eyes... they were dead. They showed nothing, no life, no joy, and certainly not laughter. There was nothing there... She ended up dying in the hospital... I was with her when she went, I was holding her hand the whole time. The doctors... they didn't help her, they didn't do anything! All they did was charge my parents money for letting Azelma stay in the hospital. What was the point? She probably would have been more comfortable at home. She probably would have liked that better... but no, she went to the hospital and she died. So that's why I hate hospitals. All they make me think of is death. I think of hospitals and I think of what happened to my poor sister... it terrifies me..." she finished.

"Mon Dieu..." he whispered. Eponine nodded.

"So now you know..."

...

Eponine had trouble sleeping that night. The effects of the painkillers had worn off and she was in pain again. The doctor had given Marius some more painkillers for her, but they were in the kitchen and Eponine couldn't get up. Marius was already asleep on the couch in the sitting room and Eponine didn't want to wake him, so she layed there in pain. _Oh this is going to be a long night._ She thought with a sigh. It was around one in the morning when Eponine finally drifted off into sleep. She awoke later to hushed voices. She recognized them immediately; Cosette and Marius. They were obviously trying to be quiet so as not to wake her. But she could still hear them, the bedroom door was open slightly. She heard Cosette giggle and then she could hear them kiss. _God kill me now!_ Eponine thought, nearly begging. She could hear them go on and on about their love for eachother. _Make it stop!_ she thought with a slight groan.

"Eponine?" Marius called out. He'd heard her.

"Yeah." she replied. Marius walked into the room.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her. She just looked at him. "You're in pain?" she nodded. "I'll go get you your painkillers." he told her. He turned and walked out of the room. Cosette stepped in and glared at Eponine.

"Hello street-rat." Cosette hissed.

"Hello blondie-bitch." Eponine replied quiet enough so that Marius would not overhear.

"Don't try anything with Marius." Cosette told her. "He's mine and, although he may be taking care of you right now, remember that."

"Or what?"

"Or I'll–" Cosette stopped talking when Marius came back into the room. He looked at them.

"What are you two talking about?" he asked them.

"Oh nothing." Cosette replied with her most dazzling smile. Marius handed Eponine her painkillers with a glass of water. Eponine gulped the pill down quickly, spilling water all over herself as she was still laying down. ut she didn't care, she just wanted the pain to be gone as soon as possible.

"Are you hungry?" he asked her.

"A little." Eponine replied.

"I'll get you some breakfast." he told her. He turned and walked out. Eponine sighed. She was alone with Cosette again.

"Y'know, I don't understand why YOU hate ME, I mean what did I ever do to you!?" Eponine asked her.

"You got in the way and you were annoying. Do you know how many times you woke me up at night with your crying?"

"Do you know how many times you were the reason that I was crying?"

"No, and I don't care." Cosette told her. Eponine coughed.

"Bitch." she said and then coughed again. Marius walked back into the room with bread and some more water on a tray. He placed it down on the bedside table.

"I'll help you to sit." he told her. She shook her head vigorously. "Why not?"

"Because I am in quite a bit of pain right now and I really don't think that would be a good idea." she said. "Maybe I could just roll onto my side."

"I'll help you." he said. He helped her roll onto her side. Eponine winced slightly. Then Marius helped her to eat and take a few sips of the water. Cosette watched, trying not to glare at Eponine. When Eponine finished eating, she thanked him. "Any time, Eponine." he replied with a smile. She smiled back. Inside, she was laughing at the briefest flicker of annoyance on Cosette's face. Eponine tried not to smirk. Marius took the trey back to the kitchen and then went back to the room. Cosette pulled out her pocket watch and checked the time. She sighed lightly.

"I really must get going." She said reluctantly, obviously not wanting Eponine and Marius to be alone together. Marius walked her to the door and kissed her passionately. The two said their goodbyes and then Marius went back to the bedroom. He sat down next to Eponine on the bed. He smiled at her. She smiled back. She noticed how he practically radiated happiness.

"Oh 'Ponine, I'm so happy." he told her. She forced herself to maintain her smile. _It's good that he's happy, I just with it wasn't with her... _she thought. "To love is a wonderful thing!" he continued. Her smile faltered slightly. "My whole life has changed! The world seems brighter all because of her!" he said, smiling very widely. "Before meeting her, I didn't know it was possible to love someone so much!" _I did..._ Eponine thought.

Marius continued to go on and on about his feelings for Cosette for a couple of hours. Eponine tried to tune him out, but found herself quite unable to. _Every word that he says is a dagger in me!_ she thought. Unfortunately for Eponine, this conversation was only the first of many.

Two weeks had passed. Eponine was able to move a bit more. She was able to–not that Marius usually let her–walk (more like a shuffle) a little. She was happy to be able to move around. She was also able to sit up now.

As I've mentioned, Marius had several more conversations with Eponine about Cosette. It was getting to the point where Eponine couldn't bear it anymore. He just kept going on and on, not even realizing the frown that would appear on her face.

"I love her so much, 'Ponine... I think I'm going to propose..." he told her. Eponine nearly choked on the water she'd been drinking.

"Wh... what?" she gasped.

"I'm going to ask her to marry me... though, we'll probably wait until the earth is free." Marius told her. He then went on to talk about ways he might propose, but Eponine was no longer listening, she was thinking. _He... he's going to marry her!? No, oh God, please no! Not her! Anyone but her! I... I can't stay here anymore, I can't listen to him talk about her every night, it's just... it's too much!_

That night, when Marius was asleep, Eponine managed to get up with only minimal pain. She shuffled to the bedroom door and pulled it open. It creaked slightly and she noticed Marius stir–but not wake–on the couch. She shuffled over to the door leading out to the hallway of the apartment building and opened it. She stepped outside and quietly closed the door. _Thank God that Enjolras' apartment is on the same floor. _she thought, knowing that she wouldn't be able to make it up or down the stairs. She shuffled to Enjolras' door and knocked. _What if he's not in there? Maybe he's still down in the cafe, some of them stay there until early in the morning. _Bur luckily, she'd knocked during one of the rare times that Enjolras was actually home. He opened the door.

"Eponine? What are you doing here? You should be in bed." he said.

"I... I can't... I just can't stay with him anymore." she told him. He noticed the sadness that coloured her voice. It was reflected in her eyes as well. He stepped back to let her into the apartment. Eponine shuffled inside and Enjolras closed the door behind her.

"What's wrong?" he asked her as he led her over to the sofa. They both sat down.

"Enjolras, surely you must know how I feel about him."

"You love him."

"With all that I am. But he doesn't know that... he... he keeps going on about his feelings for that blonde thing. It's like every word that he says is a dagger in me. And earlier today he..." her voice shook, "he said that he's going to ask her to marry him... And I just keep thinking 'not her, anyone but her...'" she told him. She took a deep breath. "You see, I know her. I know who she really is... When her and I were little, her mother dropped her off at my parents inn. They worshipped her and they loved her, like they had once loved me. After she came, I became the servant. I had to wear rags, my father often beat me when he was angry, I had no one who cared about me. Because of her. She just came into my life and ruined everything. My parents used to actually love me! But she changed that... she wasn't nice to me, either. No, she often teased me, made me cry and then complained about my crying. She even hit me once, when I tried to play with her toys. She slapped me right across my face. I cried myself to sleep that night. And then, on my birthday, when I turned 6, I stayed up til midnight just counting until I turned 6. I ended up crying because I'd realized that I was all alone. All I wanted was a friend. When I woke up in the morning, my father sent me off to the market. That's when I met Marius, that's when I finally got a friend. But that was also when an old man took Cosette away... I recieved a horrible beating that night..." she told him. "But it wasn't that bad, I tried to tell myself, I still had a friend and that made everything better. I was no longer alone. Through the next 10 years I was actually somewhat happy, even though I'd fallen in love with him and knew he probably wouldn't ever love me back. But then Cosette came and she got Marius. They just fell in love after one glance..." there were tears in Eponine's eyes now. "And now I know that he will never love me." she whispered. The tears fell from her eyes. Enjolras wrapped his arms around Eponine. She wept into his chest. He stroked her hair, trying to comfort her while he murmured silly nonsense that was meant to cheer her up. "He has no idea how awful she is..." she whispered.

"That's because he's only looking with his eyes. On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.**(1)**" he told her. Eponine managed a small smile. He smiled back. Then, without either realizing what they were doing, they were leaning towards eachother and their lips met. They pulled back quickly and both blushed bright red. "Uh sorry..." he said quickly.

"No, er I'm sorry..." she said, turning even redder. Then they kissed again. But this kiss was different, sweeter than before. Eponine wrapped her arms around his neck. Enjolras held her close. Then, both seemed to realize what they were doing and they separated. "Er, again, sorry..." she said.

"Yeah, me too." he said. "Um... pretend it never happened?" Eponine nodded. "I'll... uh... show you to the guest room." he suggested. She nodded again. He got up and then helped her up and led her to the guest room. "Well, er, good night." he said.

"Good night." she replied with a slight smile. Enjolras walked off to his bedroom. Eponine layed down on the bed and pulled the blanket around herself. _Oh my God, I kissed Enjolras and he kissed me... oh my God..._ she thought. _How did that even happen? Ah, la vache! _**(2) **_This has been a very _interesting_ day... je suis perdue..._ **(3) **_I'll just do what Enjolras suggested and pretend that it never happened... Maybe it was because I was upset about Marius... yeah, that's gotta be it... _And with that, Eponine allowed herself to drift off into sleep. She dreamed of Marius.

...

Eponine spent the next two weeks at Enjolras' apartment. Marius didn't understand why Eponine had decided to stay with Enjolras, but he couldn't help but feel a bit jealous upon seeing them together. Though, being Marius, he didn't realize that what he felt was jealousy. All he knew was that he missed Eponine's presence in his apartment. Though one thing was certain: Cosette did not miss Eponine.

Eponine was able to walk again. Enjolras had taken her to the hospital for the doctor to check up on her, which Eponine did not like, and she was given the 'okay' to start moving normally. Despite Enjolras telling her that she was welcome to stay as long as she needed, Eponine returned to the streets. However, she did make a point of showing up to Les Amis de l'ABC **(4)** meetings. _France will be free, _she thought, _when tomorrow comes... Enjolras has gotten to me... _she realized with a slight laugh as she walked into the Cafe Musain. She was late, but unlike Marius, who was usually late, she knew how to slip in without being seen or heard by the other Les Amis. Enjolras was in the middle of giving one of his inspiring speeches.

"The time is near, so near it's stirring the blood in their veins and yet, beware, don't let the wine go to your brains! For the army we fight is a dangerous foe," he said, "with the men and the arms that we never can match. Though it's easy to sit here and swat them like flies, the national guard will be harder to catch. We need a sign to rally the people to call them in line!" Everyone applauded. Marius walked in. "You're late." Enjolras commented. Marius apologized. _He was probably with his precious blonde thing. _Eponine thought. That was indeed where Marius had been. The students began to talk about progress when Gavroche came running in and tried to get everyone's attention, but no one seemed to be listening to him.

"LISTEN EVERYBODY!" he hollered. At once, all eyes were on him. "General Lamarque is dead." he announced. Everyone gasped. Enjolras blinked and then decided that he should probably say something. After all, this was the sign they were waiting for.

"Lamarque is dead... Lamarque his death is the hour of fait, the people's man... his death is the sign we await!" he said. He then proceeded to announce that after Lamarque's funeral, they would build their barricade in the heart of Paris. "Let us take to the streets with no doubt in our hearts! Theyw ill come one and all, they will come when we call!" he exclaimed. The students cheered.

**I hope you enjoyed that. In the next chapter they will fight at the barricade. Please review!**

**(1) It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.**

**(2) Oh my goodness (though if translated literally it means 'Oh the cow')**

**(3) I'm confused**

**(4) I'm assuming you all know what it means, but I was just wondering if you knew what it was 'de l'ABC'. It's because in French, the name of the society is a pun, in which abaissés (the "lowly" / "abased"), is pronounced [ab-ae-sae], very similar to A-B-C ([Ah bae sae]).**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! So... uh... yeah, I think I may be in love with Eddie Redmayne... and Ramin Karimloo... and I think Daniel Huttlestone is adorable... so, yeah... think of that what you will... Anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or any of the characters**

After Lamarque's funeral, the students began to build the barricade. They built it with anything that they could find. People threw chairs and tables out of their apartment windows down into the streets where the barricade was being formed. The barricade was about 10 feet tall. There were about 30 or 40 students there, as well as about 20 others who had joined in the battle of freedom. When the barricade was finished being built, Enjolras sent one of the volunteers off to spy on the soldiers. He looked around at all of the others. _We can win this..._ he thought.

"Now we pledge ourselves to hold this barricade!" Several students chorused.

"Let them come in their legions and they will be met!" Marius called out.

"Have faith in yourselves and do not be afraid!" Enjolras told them.

"Let's give them a screwing they'll never forget!" cried a surprisingly sober Grantaire.

"This is where it begins!" said Joly

"And if I should die in the fight to be free, where the fighting is hardest there will I be!" Courfeyrac shouted.

"Let them come if they dare, we'll be there!" Enjolras said encouragingly. Someone started to climb over the barricade. It was the volunteer. Joly helped him climb over and everyone crowded around him.

"Listen my friends, I have done as I've said; I have been to their side. I will tell what I can." he told them. No one spoke, they were waiting to hear what he had to say. "Better be warned, they have armies to spare. We'll need all our cunning to bring them to heel." Enjolras could see the students start to fret so he decided that he should probably say something to calm them.

"Have faith, if you know what their movements are we can spoil their game. There are ways that our people can fight, we shall over come their power!" He exclaimed, a fire burning in his dark eyes. Meanwhile, Gavroche had been watching this 'volunteer' and he didn't trust him for even a minute. He listened as the volunteer told them that the soldiers would not attack until monring. That was when he finally recognized him: Inspector Javert.

"LIAR!" Gavroche called out, staring the 'volunteer' straight in the eyes. The students turned to face him, the Inspector glared at him. Gavroche grinned at him "Good evenin' dear Inspector, lovely evenin' my dear!" he said to Javert. He looked at all of the other students who were watching him with confused expressions. "I know this man, my friends, his name's Inspector Javert!" he announced. The students grabbed Javert just as he tried to escape. "So don't believe a word 'e says 'cause none of it's true," he went on, "that only goes to show what li'l people can do!"

"Tie him up in the tavern." Enjolras told the students who had grabbed Javert. Then he spoke to Javert, "The people will decide your fate, _Inspector_ Javert!" he told him. Javert tried to lunge at him, trying to tell them that the revolution would fail. "There's work we have to do." he said dismissing whatever Javert was saying. Then someone called out to the barricade:

"Who's there!?" to which Enjolras replied:

"The French Revolution!"

"FIRE!"

The soldiers started attacking the barricades. They came in such great numbers, it was overwhelming. Marius grabbed a powder keg and a torch. He ran up to the top of the barricade. He barely noticed the musket pointed at him that was about to be fired when a hand was placed over top of it and guided the musket away from Marius. Marius held up the powder keg and the torch.

"Fall back or I blow up the barricade!" Marius shouted. The soldiers' commander laughed.

"Blow it up and yourself with it!"

"And myself with it." Marius agreed as he brought the torch close to the powder keg. He didn't care if he died. Cosette was gone now because Valjean had decided that it was no longer safe for him and Cosette. Marius didn't understand why.

"Fall back!" the commander shouted. The soldiers obliged. Marius brought the powder keg back to the tavern where he'd found it. He thought he heard someone call his name. He was about to walk out of the tavern when he heard it again:

"Marius." He couldn't ignore it, no, he knew he'd heard it. He looked around and saw nothing. "At your feet." the voice said. He bent down and saw in the darkness someone dragging themself towards him. In the dim light that came from the fireplace, he could see a young boy in a bloodied blouse and coarse silk trousers. It was not someone that he recognized. "You do not recognize me?"

"No."

"Eponine." Marius hastily bent down and saw that it was indeed Eponine. He gasped.

"Oh 'Ponine, why are you here? What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"I am dying." she replied. Those are words that would alarm anyone. Marius cried out.

"You're wounded!? I... I'll carry you to a room, Joly can help you. Oh! How badly are you hurt? Is it serious? Where are you wounded? Can I lift you without hurting you?" he asked her. He tried to help her up. She gave a cry of pain. "Have I hurt you?"

"A little." she admitted.

"But I only touched your hand." he said. He looked more closely at her hand. There was a hole in it. He gasped. "Oh... Oh God... but how? How did this happen? What happened to your hand?" he asked.

"It was pierced." she told him.

"By what?" he asked her. She laughed slightly.

"A bullet of course."

"How?"

"Did you not see the musket aimed at you, Monsieur?" she asked him, surprise in her voice. _Surely he must have noticed if a musket was aimed at him... unless he really is so heartbroken by Cosette's departure..._

"Yes, and a hand stopping it."

"That was mine." she told him.

"But, 'Ponine, why?" he asked. "But that is nothing! You will be fine, I mean, people don't die from being shot in the hand. You'll be okay, 'Ponine." she shook her head. "But what else is there?"

"It went through my hand, but into my chest and out my back." she told him. He shuddered. "But there is a way that you can help me better than any doctor ever could." she told him, her voice weak.

"Anything." he promised.

"Sit down near me." she said. He obeyed. She rested her head on his knees. "Ah, much more comfortable. There; I suffer no longer." she whispered. Marius noticed the bullet hole in her chest. He blinked, tears filled his eyes.

"We need to get you help..." he whispered. She hushed him.

"Don't you fret, Monsieur Marius. I don't feel any pain. You're here... that's all I need." she told him. Marius took her in his arms. "And you will keep me safe... and you will keep me close... and rain will make the flowers grow."

"But you're going to live!" he said breathlessly. Eponine smiled sadly.

"Just hold me now and let it be."

"I won't desert you know."

"I'll sleep in your embrace at last..." she whispered, closing her eyes. She opened them and then continued in a calm voice, "A breath away from where you are... I've come home from so far..." her voice shook ever so slightly. "Promise me something?"

"What?"

"Promise!"

"I promise. Anything, 'Ponine..." he told her, tears falling from her eyes.

"When I die..." she could see that Marius was about to protest, but she hushed him. "When I die, kiss me on the forehead. I shall feel it somehow..." Marius nodded. She closed her eyes and for a moment, Marius thought she had gone. But then she opened her eyes, leaned up and kissed him softly. Then she spoke in a voice whose sweetness already seemed to belong to another world: "And then... do you know, Monsieur Marius, I believe I was a little in love with you..." His eyes widened. Eponine's head fell against his chest and he was holding a limp body.

"No! 'Ponine come back! Come back to me! Oh God, no! This can't be!" he was sobbing; he had realized that he may have had feelings for Eponine, feelings that he'd only realized once she'd made her feelings for him known. "No... 'Ponine don't leave me..." he whispered brokenly.

**Oh noes! Eponine is dead! Or is she? Can she be brought back? Will Marius love her and stop seeing that stupid, blonde bi–I mean Cosette? Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's the next chapter. I think E/E shippers ill have mixed feelings about this.**

**WARNING: This might make you cry.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or any of the characters.**

Marius sat there, on the floor of the tavern, holding the limp body of Eponine. He was sobbing and his tears were falling onto Eponine's face. He kissed her forehead lightly and then rocked her body back and forth. _Oh God... Oh God, please no... Oh 'Ponine, no..._

"She is the first to fall. The first of us to fall upon this barricade." said a voice that nearly shook with tears. Marius turned his head and saw that Enjolras, Combeferre, Prouvaire, and Lesgle were in the tavern watching him. They had come in to get more ammunition, but their task had been momentarily forgotten when they'd witnessed the touching scene between Marius and Eponine. It was Enjolras who had spoken in that almost quavery voice. Marius looked back down at Eponine, new tears forming in his eyes as he looked upon her.

"Her name was Eponine," Marius whispered, "her life was cold and dark, yet she was unafraid." Marius felt empty. _She was my best friend! She can't be dead... she can't be! Oh 'Ponine, come back! Please... _

"We fight here in her name." Combeferre murmured softly.

"She will not die in vain." Prouvaire added.

"She will not be betrayed." Lesgle promised. They took Eponine from Marius' arms and placed her in the corner of the room where her body could rest undisturbed. Enjolras walked over to Marius and placed a hand on his shoulder. Marius looked up at him, tears still falling from his eyes. He noticed that there were tears threatening to form in Enjolras' eyes, but Enjolras was clearly refusing to let them fall. He could not afford to be weak, there was still a battle that had to be fought, he could not let himself cry, not matter how much he clearly wanted to, for Eponine. He would mourn later, but now was not the time. Marius seemed to realized this as well. He wiped the tears out of his eyes. Marius stood up, a fire blazing in his eyes.

"She died for me." Marius whispered. "Now I fight for her." Combeferre, Prouvaire, and Lesgle grabbed the ammunition they had come in for and left the tavern, led by Enjolras and followed by Marius.

Outside the tavern, the battle was still raging on. Marius grabbed a musket, climbed to the top of the barricade, and started firing at soldiers. He rarely missed his target. Many of the soldiers were dying, and so were the volunteers, which, even though more had joined them, there weren't many left of. Bodies were everywhere. The streets were painted red with their blood. Many were injured, and Joly was trying to take care of them as quickly as possible so that they could continue on fighting. The injured did not last long when they resumed fighting. It was not until around midnight that the fighting died down and the soldiers were retreating, with their numbers–but not just _their_ numbers–depleted greatly. Enjolras looked around. So many were dead and spirits were low. Many seemed to have realized that they would not make it out alive, that they were all going to die.

"Courfeyrac you take the watch, they won't attack until it's light." Enjolras said. He could see the hopeless looks in their eyes. They were fighting a losing battle and they knew it. _If they keep thinking that way then of course we're all going to die._ Enjolras thought. Enjolras wasn't the only one who noticed the low spirits. Someone was watching from the shadows.

"Do you hear... the people sing? Singing the song of... angry men. It is the music of... a people who... will not be_ slaves _again." sang the weak voice of the person in the shadows. Everyone turned to see the persons silhouette in the doorway of the tavern. "When the beating... of your heart echoes the beating... of the... drums, there is a life about to start... when tomorrow comes..." the voice continued.

"Will you join in our crusade? Who will be strong and stand with me?" Combeferre joined in. "Beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see?" Enjolras managed a slight smile at this.

"Then join in the fight that will give you the right to be free!" Courfeyrac exclaimed. Then everyone joined in:

"Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of angry men? It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again! When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums, there is a life about to start when tomorrow comes!" they sang. The person slumped against the side of the tavern, seemingly too weak to remain on their feet. Joly rushed over to see how he could help. He gasped when he saw who it was.

"But that's... that's impossible..." he said. Marius walked over to see what he was talking about. He did a double take when he found himself looking into the eyes of Eponine Thenardier. She managed a weak smile at him.

"But you... you died..." Marius whispered.

"No," she disagreed, "because death shouldn't hurt this much."

"You probably just passed out from the pain." Joly told her. He lifted her up off the ground. "I'll carry you to a room and tend to your wounds as best I can. I don't know how much I'll be able to do." he admitted. He carried her into the tavern and into a room, followed closely by Marius. Joly placed her down on the table that was in the room and began to tend to her wounds. Marius held her hand. When Joly finished, he said to her "That's the best that I can do," he had stitched her wounds and bandaged them, "unfortunately, you'll have to go without painkillers." he turned to look at Marius. "Is there somewhere safe that she can stay for the time being?" he asked him. Marius nodded and was about to say something when Eponine cut him off.

"I'm not leaving here." she said. "Not a chance in hell. My place is here, I fight with you."

"'Ponine, please–" Marius started, but this time he was cut off by Joly.

"You can stay here," Joly started, "but you have to stay right here. Do not leave this room, don't even get up." Eponine, seeing that this was the best she would get, nodded. "Now try to rest." he told her, before walking out of the room. Eponine looked at Marius, who's eyes had followed Joly as he left the room. She knew that he wanted to go back and fight.

"Promise me that you'll be careful." she whispered, very nearly begging him.

"I promise." Marius promised. She smiled weakly, and then her face contorted in pain. "'Ponine?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." she said quickly, forcing herself to smile again. He kissed her forehead.

"I'll see you soon." he told her.

"I'll hold you to that." Marius smiled and walked out of the tavern just as Eponine passed out again.

...

When Eponine regained consciousness, she found that everything was quiet. Too quiet. She didn't hear any gunshots, she didn't hear any shouting. She heard nothing. She got up off the table, wincing as she used her injured hand. She walked out of the tavern and she nearly screamed when she saw them. Bodies. All in a line. All of Les Amis de l'ABC were dead. The only two bodies that Eponine did not see, were those of Marius and Enjolras. But what made her want to scream and sob and shout all that the same time was when she saw the dead body of her brother. She went over to him and knelt down, taking his little body in her arms. She began to sob as she held her little brother's dead body close to her.

"Oh Gavroche..." she sobbed. "Oh 'Vroche... you can't be dead... Oh God, please no!" she shouted. She immediately regretted it because, right away, she heard footsteps coming towards her. She placed Gavroche back down in the line of dead and stood. She knew who was coming before she saw them. Soldiers. They were looking for survivors, such as Eponine. They rushed over to her and grabbed her.

"Take her to the cell," their commander said, "put her with the other one." _Other one?_ Eponine thought, _Which other one?_

The soldiers dragged Eponine to a cell, she did not even try to fight them. She knew that it would be useless. They threw her into the cell. In the darkness, Eponine could see someone laying in the corner of the cell. She crawled towards the figure. It was Enjolras. He didn't look very good and he was paler than Eponine had thought it possible to be. She let out a barely audible gasp.

"Enjolras?" she whispered. He turned his head and looked at her. He smiled weakly upon seeing her. She could tell that he was in pain, but she also noticed that he almost seemed content.

"So I have died then." It was not a question, it was a statement. Eponine shook her head.

"No you're alive, we're both alive and–" she didn't get to finish.

"But, surely, I must be dead, for I am in the presence of an angel." he murmured. Eponine's eyes widened. _Oh no, he's delirious. _she thought. Enjolras coughed up some blood, wincing as he did so. He was clearly in pain. "No, I am still alive. Death would be more peaceful." he said with a frown. Then he looked at her again. "Please, come closer." he was almost begging. Eponine obeyed and inched closer to him. He rested his head on her knees, which, bony as they were, seemed to make him feel more comfortable. He smiled at her. "Eponine, I am dying." he told her. She gasped. That was when she noticed the blood that stained his clothes and pooled around him in a dark crimson puddle, when she noticed the gunshot wounds.

"No, don't think like that! You're going to live, you are!" she told him, trying to convince herself more than him.

"No," he said, smiling sadly, "I'm not. But that is okay, because you are here. Eponine, I must confess something to you: I love you." he told her, with such tenderness in his voice, such sweetness. She had not known him capable of such emotion when talking about something other than Patria, much less when talking about her. Eponine was about to say something, but he continued, "I know that you do not love me, you love Marius. But that's okay. I want you to be happy with him, Eponine. He will realize that he does not love Colette."

"Cosette." she corrected.

"Who cares? Eponine, I want you to live a long and happy life. I wish you could do that in a free world, maybe you will some day in the future. The near future, I hope." he winced. "The darkness comes without a warning..." he whispered. He noticed the tears in Eponine's eyes and he managed to smile at her. "Do not cry, Dear Eponine. I do not fear death, for it is just the next great adventure. Besides, I die for the cause. And now that you know that I love you, I will die happy." Enjolras raised a hand to caress her face with the gentlest of touches. He leaned up and kissed her with the last of his strength. Eponine kissed him back, giving him what he so desperately wanted. Her tears dripped onto his face, but he didn't seem to notice. He smiled at her, but she could not bring herself to return the smile. His face became serious. "I... love... you... Eponine..." he tried to smile again and died.

**Hope you enjoyed. Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! I won a shiny bronze medal! :) Anyway, here's the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or any of the characters.**

Eponine sobbed as she looked down at the dead body of Enjolras. _He... he loved me..._ she thought, _I never would have guessed... Oh how can he be dead? How can God be so cruel? Oh please no... _She sobbed harder. A guard came over to her cell and started yelling at her to be quiet. Then he noticed Enjolras. He looked at Eponine with a mean smirk. He said to her:

"Is he dead?" she nodded, more tears falling from her eyes. "I'll dispose of him." he unlocked the cell and stepped inside. He walked over to Eponine and tried to take Enjolras from her. She held on tightly to him. The guard struck her and then took Enjolras from her. He dragged him out of the cell and then locked the door again. Eponine was left alone in the darkness. She was left there for days and, despite her screaming, she was seemingly forgotten about. She was starving and her throat hurt. _When was the last time I drank something?_ She wondered faintly. And so, her health began to deteriorate.

...

As Eponine was left to starve and die of thirst, Marius was just waking up in his grandfather's house. He had been unconscious for days. He opened his eyes and looked around the room, Cosette was sitting in a chair next to his bed. His lips moved as if he was trying to for words, but no sound came out. Cosette smiled at him. She leaned in and kissed him. She'd thought that he was puckering his lips. Marius finally managed to get out what he'd been trying to say:

"Eponine." he said, panic in his voice. Cosette frowned.

"No, dear, I'm Cosette."

"I know that... but what happened to Eponine? And to everyone else? Do you know? Oh please, Cosette, tell me that you know!" he was nearly begging her. She looked at hi sadly, not quite sure of what to tell him.

"They're dead." she said bluntly.

"All of them?"

"I'm afraid so."

"But... but what about Eponine? She... she wasn't even fighting, she... she... Oh please say it isn't so! Please tell me that she's not dead, Cosette I implore you!" his voice shook and tears fell from his eyes. Cosette hated to see him like this.

"If she is alive," she said slowly, trying to figure out just how to say it, "if she is alive, then she would have been taken as a prisoner. The soldiers searched the barricades very thoroughly for any survivors." There was a flicker of hope in Marius' eyes.

"We have to find out... we need to know that she's alive..."

"Marius, she would have been captured days ago. She may very well be dead. Lord knows that the soldiers would not tend to any wounds that she might have. I doubt that they would even feed her. I'm not trying to upset you, I just don't want you to get your hopes up because they might get crushed." she told him softly. He nodded, the flicker of hope was gone from his eyes. "Marius, I want you to know that we can still live a happy life together. Papa has decided that we can stay in Paris, so I will never have to leave you again." she smiled at him. He faked a smile back. He tried to get up and let out a cry of pain. He'd forgotten that he'd been shot in the leg. "You need to rest, Marius darling." he shook his head.

"I need to know for sure if Eponine is alive or if she's..." he didn't need to finish his sentence.

"I will find out for you." she promised him.

"Oh Cosette, thank you!" he exclaimed. He layed back down again and closed his eyes.

"Rest now, dearest." she murmured. She kissed his lips lightly and then slipped out of the room. She left Monsieur Gillenormand's house. She made her way down to the jail. She walked up to a guard. "Excuse me, Monsieur," she said. He turned and faced her. "I was just wondering if there were any survivors left from the barricades."

"Why do you want to know?" he asked her.

"Merely curious." she replied.

"There is one. Just one. Some girl that we found wandering about the barricade."

"Is she tall? Olive tone skin? Tangled dark brown hair?" Cosette asked. The guard nodded. "Will she be executed?"

"Probably not. She is only a woman. She'll probably be let out in a couple of days, that is, in the unlikely event that she survives until then. We don't give food or drinks to revolutionaries." he told her.

"So she'll probably die?" Cosette asked. The guard nodded. "Alright, well thank you, Monsieur." she said. She skipped all the way back to Marius' grandfathers house. She went inside and into Marius' room. Marius was still asleep, but he was not alone in the room. Monsieur Gillenormand was watching him sleep, a hint of fatherly affection in the old man's eyes. The old man looked up at her when she entered the room. "Hello Monsieur." she said to him, smiling lightly.

"Is she alive?" he asked her. Cosette hesitated for the briefest of moments.

"No." she lied.

"Ah, now that is a shame. She was a charming girl." Monsieur Gillenormand said with a sigh. He had known Eponine quite well. After all, she was Marius' best friend. He had seen a lot of her when Marius used to live with him. He looked at Marius, who looked peaceful in his sleep. "Marius won't take it well." Cosette nodded in agreement, knowing that it was completely true.

Marius soon awoke. His eyes immediately found Cosette's.

"Is she...?" he asked. Cosette shook her head. "But... she has to be alive... she can't be dead... no..." tears fell from his eyes. "Maybe there's been some mistake, maybe she's been living on the streets and wasn't captured. Just because she's not in jail doesn't mean she's dead, right?" Marius asked hopefully. Cosette frowned and took hold of his hand, kissing it lightly.

"She was in jail, but she didn't make it, Marius. She died in a cell." she told him, thus crushing all of his hopes. He began to sob, not just for Eponine, but for all of his friends who had fallen with the barricade. They were all dead, but he was not. It didn't seem fair. _I should have died with them... how am I alive anyway? Who saved me from the damned barricade?_ he wondered. _I should be dead right now..._ he thought, and part of him wished that he was dead. Monsieur Gillenormand watched Marius sob, wishing that he could console his grandson, but not knowing of anyway that he could do so.

...

Days passed. Marius barely ate and barely talked. Cosette visited him everyday, sometimes with Valjean. She talked to Marius (receiving no responses though) about wedding plans and possible guests (no one–save for Marius' grandfather–that Marius knew.), most of which were people that Cosette and Valjean had met throughout the years, including a man named Fauchelevant, a man that Valjean had once saved.

As Marius was being bombarded with wedding plans, Eponine was dying. Her wounds were not well tended to and had become infected. She was very skeleton like, as she had not eaten in a while. She barely had a voice (not that she had anyone to talk to) from lack of water. Her throat burned from thirst. Her hand throbbed painfully and the black hole in the middle of it leaked not only blood, but pus too. She was starting to give up hope. She tried to tell herself that Marius would find her, but with each passing day, she believed less and less. _Perhaps I shall just die here._ she thought bitterly. _Maybe that would be better, just let him be with his blonde thing. At least he'd be happy. He'd forget about me, I'm sure. Without me his world will go on turning..._

**Anyone else starting to hate Cosette? I always have, personally. Anyway, so today I found out that Cosette is a brunette. Le gasp! I guess people assume she's blonde because so many actresses that have portrayed her were blonde. Though, Judy Kuhn (the original Cosette in the English production) is a brunette. But then again, Fabienne Guyon (the original Cosette in the French production) was blonde, but I think she may have worn a brown wig in the musical. Y'know what's sad? Marie-France Dufour (original French Eponine) died when she was 41 due to leukemia. Sad... anyways, (yeah I know I talk too much) please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Voice un autre chapitre!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or any of the characters.**

Monsieur Gillenormand was not quite sure that Eponine was dead. _She's always been a fighter, _he thought, _there's no way that the girl would give in to death. She's much too stubborn. But why would Colette lie? Unless... what if Coguette is jealous of Eponine? Why maybe Cobnette made it all up, perhaps the poor girl really is alive and in prison. Perhaps I ought to take a trip down to the prison. If Eponine is alive, then Coronette lied. _Monsieur Gillenormand made his way down to the jail, bringing some money with him so that, if Eponine was alive, he would be able to bail her out. While he was doing this, Cosette chattered to Marius about various things that they could do once they were happily married. Marius was starting to get a headache.

"Oh! We could move down by the ocean! Wouldn't that be lovely, Marius dear? And then our children could learn how to swim! Wouldn't that be wonderful? And we'd have a nice and cozy little cabin. And the larks would chirp so prettily! Then every morning the sun would shine into our quaint little house and fill it with warmth and sunlight. Everything will be perfect! Every Sunday, after church, we could have friends over for dinner! I'm quite a good cook, you know. Then our children will go to school and become smart. They'll study, they'll become doctors or lawyers or anything that they want to become. And when we're old and we can't take care of ourselves anymore, our loving children will be there for us. Can't you see it, lovely love? Our lives will be perfect, and we will be together everyday!" Cosette exclaimed. She continued to talk, but Marius was no longer listening to her. _My God, does she never shut up?_ he wondered. _I can't remember a time when she wasn't talking... Eponine never chattered like that. We'd have actually conversations. We'd talk about anything and everything, but it was never boring. Not like this. Eponine never said too much, she never annoyed me. Not like Cosette is right now. _"And we can teach our children to dance..."_ I wish Eponine was here. Oh she'd probably laugh if she knew what I was thinking. She never really accepted compliments all too well. She wasn't used to recieving them, and when she did she was too modest. She always thought very little of herself, cared very little about herself too. But not her brother or her friends, when it came to them, Eponine had the biggest heart. Oh 'Ponine, I miss you!_ he thought, wishing more than anything that Eponine was with him. _But she's not here, not with me. She never will be again because she's dead. Oh God..._ "And a cat to chase away all of the mice..." _She was smart in her own way, she could always make me laugh, and... and she was beautiful. She never knew it though. But, I guess that's what true beauty is... I'll always remember her eyes. She had such beautiful chocolatey brown eyes and if you looked closely there were secret flecks of gold in them that were particularly noticable in the light of the sun or the soft glow of a candle. _"An apple tree in the back yard..." _And her smile. Oh her smile... it could brighten even the darkest of days, cheer even the most miserable fellow. Her smiles were rare, but that made them even more special, even more exquisite. I wish I could see her smile now... _"Fresh flowers on the table..." _and hear her laugh. She had such a musical laugh. Her laughter was contagious too, if she laughed then I'd laugh. I loved it when she laughed because it meant that, even if only for a minute, she was happy. I loved seeing her happy..._ "A walk in the park everyday..." Marius faked a yawn, hoping that Cosette would think him tired and let him rest. But she didn't even seem to notice. "We'll have the loveliest garden..." Marius yawned again, more obviously this time. Cosette looked at him. "Are you tired, sweetness?" she asked him. He nodded. "Rest now, my darling Marius. We can continue our conversation when you awake." she told him. _Oh I so hope that I die in my sleep..._ he thought, half meaning it. Marius closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. Instead of sleeping though, he continued to think of Eponine. Oh how he missed her! He wished fervently that she was there with him.

In pretending to sleep, Marius actually did end up falling asleep. With sleep came a dream. And that dream, as you may very easily have guessed Reader, was about none other than Eponine Thenardier.

_Marius found himself somewhere that was completely white. It was so bright that he had to squint. In the distance he could make out a figure coming towards him. It wasn't until the figure was right in front of him that he could distinguish her features. Her dark brown hair fell in waves past her waist and was not even slightly tangled. She was skinny, but not dangerously so. She wore a chemise of the purest white. It was not torn or even wrinkled in the slightest. Her skin was blemish free and there was no trace of a bruise or scar. Her teeth were a perfect white. Her chocolate eyes sparkled with laughter. She radiated happiness and looked completely pure, as if not one single misfortune had befallen the young girl. The girl smiled upon seeing Marius._

_"Eponine..." Marius murmured. She grinned coquettishly. "Oh 'Ponine, is it really you?" She nodded. Marius ran forward and embraced her. "You're here, you're really here!" he exclaimed. He held her close. "Oh 'Ponine, I thought that you had left me!"_

_"I would never leave you, Monsieur." she told him. Her voice was soft like silk and had a musical lilt to it. Its sweetness reminded Marius of honey, for it was smooth. Her voice still retained the innocence of childhood._

_"You mean you'll stay with me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper._

_"Always." she promised him. That was all that Marius needed to hear. He pressed his lips to hers. Her lips were soft and full. They looked perfect, as if sculpted by Seraphim, and they molded perfectly to Marius' lips. The kiss itself was innocent, yet passionate. _Like cold fire, _Marius thought to himself. When he broke away from Eponine, it was only to murmur softly to her these three words:_

_"I love you."_

And with that, Marius awoke from his slumber. _I... I love her..._ he realized. _I love her so much, how did I not notice! Why am I with Cosette? I should have been with Eponine the whole time... maybe if I had known that I loved her before... before... well, everything, then maybe she would still be alive and we would be starting our lives together. Oh God... she's really gone..._

...

For the first time in days, Eponine heard footsteps coming towards her cell. She looked up and gasped when she saw Monsieur Gillenormand. _I... I don't understand..._ she thought, _what's going on?_ The guard who had followed Monsieur Gillenormand unlocked Eponine's cell door.

"Alright, up you get." the guard barked at her. Eponine tried to get up, but found that she had lost the strength to do so. Monsieur Gillenormand stepped into the cell and he picked her up. The old man found that she was far too light. _I am fairly certain that there are feathers that are heavier than her. _he thought. Eponine looked at him, wide eyed. She was clearly confused.

"I knew you were alive." he told her. "You're much too stubborn to die." and with that, he got them a carriage and brought her back to his house. _I think Marius shall be pleasantly surprised, _he thought, _as for Coderette, well, I think this will be a nasty shock._

**And there ya have it! Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you for all of the kind reviews, they always make me smile! Sorry this took so long to type, I've been sick. Still am and it's been hard to think. Anyways here's the chapter.**

**Side note: Some of you may have noticed that sometimes my grammar and spelling aren't that great. The reason for that is French. Because I'm learning French, I spend more time in a day focusing on French grammar and spelling more than English. I do apologise.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or any of the characters.**

Marius could barely breathe with how hard he was sobbing. _Oh Eponine, please come back to me! _he begged to no one in particular. _Eponine! Please, I need you!_ he sobbed harder. _Don't be dead, just be alive... please..._ Marius had never been this miserable. _God, please give her back to me! She can't be dead! Please, I love her! Eponine... come back to me... please... _He heard footsteps approaching the room. _Oh no, Cosette is returning. I don't want to hear more of what our 'perfect' lives will be like... I'll pretend to be sleeping. _Marius did just that. It was, as you may have assumed, Reader, Marius' grandfather that entered the room and not Corquette... Comnette... Coginette... whatever...

"Marius, I know you're awake." he said to his grandson. Marius opened his eyes.

"Oh. Grandfather, it is you." he said with a slight sigh of relief. His voice shook slightly with the tears that were still falling from his bright eyes. The old man smiled at him, a smile that Marius could not return.

"It seems," he started, "that Coloquette–"

"Cosette."

"–has lied to you." he finished, ignoring Marius' correction. _Who cares what her name is?_

"About what?" Marius asked.

"Come with me, I will show you." he replied. He helped Marius out of bed and walked to the guest room, Marius followed him, limping. He limped into the room and saw, laying there on the bed, Eponine. His eyes widened. _But how is this possible? Cosette said she... she said she died in jail, but here she is... Cosette lied to me? That bitch! But oh, Eponine is alive! Thank God, thank God!_

"Oh 'Ponine, you're alive!" he exclaimed. As quickly as he could, he went over to the bed and sat down next to Eponine. She managed a weak smile. Marius took her hand in his. "I thought you were dead, Cosette said you were..." Eponine's smile turned into a scowl. Monsieur Gillenormand left the room to get some food and water for Eponine. "It is great that you are alive! Eponine, I love you!" he told her. Her eyes widened, but she smiled. He bent down and kissed her softly on the lips. She kissed him back with as much passion as she could muster. "I love you so much." he murmured against her lips. She smiled. She was really and truly happy. Marius pulled back when Monsieur Gillenormand came back into the room with a pitcher of water, a glass, and buttered bread.

"Conette must have gone on a walk." he told them. "She's not here." He placed the tray down on Eponine's lap and left the room to give them their privacy and to get a doctor for Eponine. _Poor girl. Don't know what she did to deserve what she got from Coyvette. Well, at least the boy has noticed what's always been right in front of him. _the old man thought. Marius helped Eponine to drink the water, which she downed rather quickly, and then to eat some of the bread. He poured her some more water, which she readily drank. After she drank nearly the entire pitcher of water, she looked at Marius.

"Do you really love me, Monsieur?" she asked him, needing to know for sure if he really meant what he'd said or if he'd just said it because he was happy that she was alive. _Could it be true? Could he really love me?_

"Avec tout mon coeur **(1)**," he replied. Eponine smiled brightly.

"That's all I've ever wanted." she told him. He smiled slightly and kissed her on the forehead. At that moment, Cosette walked into the room. When she saw Eponine, she did a double take. The smile that had been on her face evaporated. Marius stood up and turned to look at her. His eyes retained none of their usual warmth for the girl he'd once called his 'love'.

"It's a... miracle?" she said. It came out sounding like a question. She shifted uncomfortably.

"You lied to me." Marius said coldly.

"No, I... I... She would have died. She should have..." Cosette said, glaring at Eponine. Eponine scowled at her. "I wish she had died. Then she wouldn't be here and we would be planning our wedding."

"Cosette, I think you should leave." he said in a forcedly calm voice.

"But Marius, I... I love you..." Her brilliant blue eyes filled with tears. "I love you so much..."

"And I love Eponine. I wish I had realised that sooner."

"You... you love _her_?" Cosette hissed. "You love that filthy little street rat? Marius, look at her! She's hideous, completely revolting! I don't know how anyone could ever love her! She has more dirt on her little finger than I have on my entire body." Marius struck her. Cosette stumbled back, shock written all over her face. She looked at him and then, with disgust, at Eponine. "How dare you!" she said to Marius.

"Get out." he told her, his voice filled with hatred. "Get out and stay out." Cosette turned and left. Eponine was staring at Marius in shock. She had never seen such coldness in his eyes. But when Marius turned his gaze upon her, his eyes were filled with warmth and love. He walked over and sat down next to her again. Eponine felt a bit embarrassed. _Everything that Cosette said about me was true... _Marius could tell what she was thinking."'Ponine, forget about what she said. None of that is true. You are beautiful and I love you so very much. I don't even know how I thought for a second that I loved Cosette. I love you, 'Ponine. You, not her." Eponine smiled slightly. She tried to sit up. She let out a cry of pain and layed back down. "Just rest, love." he murmured.

"Marius?"

"Hmm?"

"Kiss me."

"Of course." He bent down and softly pressed his lips to hers. She smiled and raised her good hand to caress his face. Marius pulled away when he noticed her eyelids droop. "Rest." he whispered softly. She closed her eyes for a moment, but then opened them and looked at Marius.

"Marius?"

"Yes, 'Ponine?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

**Yay! They're finally together! So I thought of an idea for a Wicked/Les Miserables crossover. If I wrote that, how many of you would be interested? Please review!**

**(1) With all my heart**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys! Watching 25th anniversary of Les Mis whilst writing this last chapter. Enjoy!**

**P.S. I am in love with and am going to marry Ramin Karimloo and you're all invited to our wedding!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or any of the characters**

It wasn't long before Marius and Eponine were married, with the blessing of Monsieur Gillenormand. There weren't many people there that Marius and Eponine actually knew (most were friends of Monsieur Gillenormand) as all of their friends had died at the barricade, but it was a lovely ceremony nevertheless. Cosette had made an appearance, but was quickly thrown out when she tried to attack Eponine (that didn't go well... for Cosette, who ended up with a black eye, a fat lip, and a broken nose. The moral of this story is, Reader, don't mess with Eponine Thenardier). Eponine's parents had also showed up, begging for money. Marius ended up paying them to stay away from him and Eponine forever. Monsieur and Madame Thenardier ended up moving to America and did not bother Marius and Eponine ever again. By the end of the night, Eponine and Marius were happily married.

**10 years later**

Eponine Thenardier watched as her three daughters planted flowers in their garden. Larkspur, lillies, delphinium, roses, daisies, and several others. Though, of course, there were already several beautiful flowers in their garden, the three children thought some new flowers would be nice for the lovely garden. Once they'd finished, Eponine went inside for a moment and then returned with a tray of lemonade and some glasses. She poured them each a glass.

"Azelma, Chantelle, Monique! Come get your lemonade!" Eponine called out to them. The three girls skipped over to her and each grabbed a glass of lemonade and thanked her. Monique was the oldest at 9 years old. She had dark curly brown hair and Marius' bright green eyes. Azelma was the middle child at 7 years. She had light brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. Chantalle was the youngest, only 4 years old. She also had light brown hair, but with green eyes. The three girls drank their lemonade thirstily. Eponine smiled as she watched them.

"We're home!" Marius called out as he walked down the cobblestone pathway towards them, with two boys sitting on his shoulders. He let the boys down and they ran over to Eponine and hugged her. "The garden looks wonderful." Marius said with a smile.

"Would you boys like some lemonade?" Eponine asked them. The young, identical boys nodded happily. She poured them each a glass. "Here you go Gav, here you go Georges." she said as she handed them each a glass. The boys were 5 years old and had curly brown hair and hazel eyes. Eponine looked at Marius. "Would you like some lemonade, dear?" she asked him. He shook his head.

"No thank you, love." he replied. He stepped over to her and kissed her softly. She kissed him back, smiling. There was a chorus of 'ew's from their children and they parted, laughing slightly.

They hadn't been bothered by Cosette since their wedding, nor had they heard much of her life. Cosette had married, but her husband had drowned himself in the Seine about a week after their wedding, leaving a note saying _If only I was deaf..._ The last they'd heard of Cosette, she was buying her 8th cat and her once glorious blonde hair was starting to turn grey.

"Should we tell them?" Eponine whispered to Marius.

"Now is a better time than any." he replied. They turned to face their children.

"Soon, you guys are going to have another brother or sister." she told them, smiling widely. They smiled and, all at once, they started to ask questions.

"When?" asked Monique.

"I'm not gonna be the youngest anymore?" asked Chantalle, grinning.

"Name it after me!" exclaimed Gav. Everyone laughed.

And so, that is where this story ends. Eponine was no longer the lonely, miserable girl that was at the beginning. Everything had changed since the moment she met Marius. Also, she was no longer dangerously thin, and her hair was no longer tangled or matted with dirt. Eponine got what she deserved; a happy life with the man she loved and their children. Cosette also got what she deserved; a lonely life filled with many cats and very little happiness. As you sow, so shall you reap. We can now end this tale knowing that our protagonist lives happily ever after and the antagonist does not. Now, Reader, I think we can easily say that this is

The End

**I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you everyone for all of the kind reviews. Feel free to read my other Les Mis fic "One Towards the Other" and, once I write it, my Les Mis/Wicked crossover! Au revoir!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys! **

**So I have finally posted the companion story to Une Pauvre Fille. It is called L'Amour et le Mariage.**

**It will focus on Marius and Eponine's married life, starting with their wedding and continuing up to where the Epilogue begins, maybe even farther if that's what people want. **

**So please check it out!**

**Sincerely,**

**MissFiyerabaMeponineSherlock/Ashley**


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